|
February 2, 2026 
|
|
|
Suburbia skewered
 |
| Jack Whitehall and Keke Palmer in a scene from the TV version of “The ’Burbs.” Elizabeth Morris/Peacock |
Dear Watchers,
“The ’Burbs,” a sharp, darkly comic series premiering Sunday on Peacock, opens with a view of planet Earth from outer space before zooming through clouds and homing in on a leafy cul-de-sac.
The sequence is a homage to the beginning of the 1989 Tom Hanks film that the show is based on. Both stories are set in Hinkley Hills, a close-knit suburban community, whose sleepy idyll is interrupted by the arrival of strange new neighbors. Both feature those neighbors’ creepy Victorian home — a Gothic sore thumb among the neighborhood’s tasteful Colonials — which may be the site of a mysterious disappearance. And both follow an ensemble cast of quirky residents obsessed with uncovering the truth.
The only outsiders in the film were the enigmatic, vaguely Eastern European newcomers to Hinkley Hills, but the series is lousy with them — all carrying their own secrets. Take the newly married Samira (Keke Palmer), who recently moved to town and into her husband Rob’s childhood home with their infant son. Rob (Jack Whitehall) is British and Samira is Black, a fact the other characters can’t help but talk about. (Palmer’s deadpan reaction when the town librarian calls their baby a “cute little mocha munchkin” is hilarious).
Then there’s Naveen (Kapil Talwalkar), Rob’s longtime friend, whose South Asian heritage has always set him apart from Hinkley Hills’ predominantly white locals. Also in the mix are Dana (Paula Pell), an aging lesbian with a military background, and Tod (Mark Proksch), who is just odd. These misfits soon bond over their suspicions about their new neighbor.
The film expertly skewered suburbia — particularly, the paranoia and pettiness that set in when people live in close proximity. That claustrophobia is a major element here too: Battles rage over dog poop and byzantine H.O.A. rules, while busybodies monitor it all. “Hinkley Hills is a community — people care, they watch out for each other,” Dana says, a tad defensively. Tod’s rejoinder? “Or just watch each other.”
But the show also tackles weightier topics like racism, postpartum depression and suburban alienation. Generally, it does so with a light touch. In one scene, two cops confront Samira in response to reports of a “Black person skulking around the property.” Tensions run high. We’ve seen this scenario play out with tragic consequences before. But then the cop (Max Carver) recognizes Rob and taps his own chest enthusiastically: “Danny Daniels, from high school! I heard you moved back.”
Although it sometimes veers toward the over-earnest, and its tonal shifts can be jarring, “The ’Burbs” is funny and ultimately heartwarming. Everyone has secrets, the show says — the trick is finding the people you can trust with yours.
Also this week
 |
| Sabrina Carpenter is among the guest stars in a new “Muppet Show” special. Disney/Mitch Haaseth |
- Almost 50 years after its original debut, “The Muppet Show” is back with a half-hour special featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Seth Rogen and Maya Rudolph, premiering Wednesday on Disney+. It will also air that night at 9 p.m., on ABC.
|
- Based on the Michael Connelly books about a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles, “The Lincoln Lawyer” returns on Thursday for a fourth season, on Netflix.
|
- “Salvador,” a new Spanish-language crime drama, debuts Friday, on Netflix.
|
|
CATHERINE O’HARA (1954-2026) |
|
|
|
|
